Family
by cwgirlup
Summary: Ghost Adventures slash. Nick/Zak. Annabelle has a bad day at school. Zak makes her feel better.


Title: Family

Pairing: Nick/Zak

Rating: M

Summary: Annabelle has a bad day at school. Zak makes her feel better.

Disclaimer: Don't own – please don't sue. Blah, blah, blah.

Family

Annabelle Groff stood outside her elementary school, her black and red backpack at her feet and her arms folded across her chest as she waited to go home. She alternated between staring at the ground and scowling at the boy standing a short distance away from her. Stupid Jimmy. She had been having a great day at school until he decided to make fun of her.

Annabelle was five weeks into kindergarten and was excited to get her first homework the night before. The assignment was for each child to draw their family, label each person with their full name, and tell what their parents did. That morning they had each gotten up in front of the class to present the picture. Annabelle had worked very hard on her picture and made sure that all the names were spelled correctly. She sighed as she remembered presenting her picture and what had happened after.

_She stood in front of the class with a big smile and unrolled her picture. "This is my family. This," she said, pointing to a figure with short hair and a goatee, "is my daddy. His name is Nicholas Joshua Groff." She pointed to a figure on the other side of the paper with spiky, black hair. "This is my papa. His name is Zachary Alexander Bagans. They both hunt ghosts. They've gone to lots of scary places and are very brave. This is me," she said, pointing to a short blond-haired girl with braids. "My whole name is Annabelle Elizabeth Groff." She pointed to the last person, a small figure with black hair. "And this is my baby brother. His name is Robert Anthony Bagans-Groff. He's only one year old." She looked back at her teacher and smiled, proud of herself for not being scared to talk in front of everyone._

"_Very nice job, Annabelle. You may take your seat." The teacher called the next child to the front as Annabelle returned to her desk. She was listening to the little girl in front when she felt kicking on the back of her chair. She turned around and saw Jimmy Perkins kicking her seat. _

"_Stop it," she said, as quietly as she could._

"_Make me."_

"_Stop it or I'll tell."_

"_Tattletale baby." Jimmy stuck his tongue out at her but stopped kicking, and Annabelle forgot about it until he started picking on her again at recess._

_She was playing kickball with her friends when she tripped running to first base. By the time she got up and ran to the base, the ball was already there. She had scraped her knee when she fell so she went to tell her teacher that she hurt herself. Jimmy ran up to her and started teasing._

"_Stupid girl. Can't even run without falling."_

"_Leave me alone," she said, doing her best to ignore him._

"_That wouldn't have happened if you were a boy. That's probably why your papa loves your brother more than you."_

_Annabelle stopped and folded her arms as she looked him in the eye. "He does not. He loves us both the same."_

"_Oh, yeah? Then how come you and your brother have different last names? Your last name is just Groff, not Bagans. Only your brother is Bagans. That means he loves him more."_

_Annabelle frowned. "You don't know anything. My papa loves me lots. He's even coming to pick me up after school, and if you don't be nice, he'll beat you up."_

"_A grown-up can't beat up a kid. Everyone knows that. And no matter what you say, he loves your brother more. So there." He stuck his tongue out at her again as he ran off._

_Annabelle watched him go, feeling upset and angry. She couldn't wait for her papa to come after school. Then Jimmy would see that he loved her as much as Robert._

Just then, Zak's black SUV pulled up, and Annabelle walked toward it with a smile on her face. She opened the passenger door and said, "Papa, would you..."

Her voice trailed off and her face fell as she saw Nick smiling down at her from the driver's seat. "Hey, sweetie. Did you have a good day?"

"Where's Papa?"

"Oh, Robert had an accident during his nap, so Zak had to give him a bath. I came to get you so he could finish what he was doing."

"But he _promised_ that he'd pick me up."

"Well, I know he can't wait to see you. Hurry up and hop in so we can go home."

Annabelle shut the passenger door and climbed into the backseat. She buckled herself in and stared out the window, refusing to respond to Nick's efforts to talk to her. As they pulled out of the school parking lot, she looked back to see Jimmy pointing at her and laughing.

When they arrived home, Annabelle ran into the house and pounded up the stairs. She glanced into the nursery and saw Zak putting socks on the baby and lifting him into his arms. He saw Annabelle standing outside the door and said, "Hi, princess. What did you do at school today?"

Annabelle turned and ran into her room, ignoring Zak. She threw herself onto her bed and cried, sure now that Jimmy was right.

Zak walked to her room and knocked on the closed door. "Annabelle? Sweetheart, what's wrong? Can I come in?"

Annabelle sat up and wiped her eyes, feeling anger overcome the sadness. "No – go away! I don't want to talk to you. And keep that stupid baby out, too."

Zak frowned, torn between opening her door and demanding an apology, and talking to Nick to see if he might know what was wrong. He finally decided to give her a chance to cool down and went downstairs with the baby to find Nick.

He walked into the kitchen and saw Nick pulling things out of the refrigerator to start dinner. He turned and smiled when he saw Zak and Robert. "There's my big guy."

"Well, I'm glad to see you, too."

Nick rolled his eyes. "I meant the other big guy," he said, kissing Zak as he took the baby from his arms.

"Nick, did Annabelle say anything when you picked her up today?"

"No. She seemed really upset about something, but I couldn't get her to talk to me at all."

Zak sighed. "She just yelled at me to go away and keep the baby away, too." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "What should I do? Do you think I should go talk to her?"

"That might be good. I think it bothered her a lot that you didn't pick her up. Maybe she just needs some time with you."

Zak headed up the stairs and opened the door to Annabelle's room. The little girl was sitting cross-legged on her bed, staring at a family picture taken just after Robert's first birthday. Zak sat beside her on the bed and said, "We need to talk, princess."

Annabelle kept her eyes focused on the picture. "About what?"

"What happened to get you so upset? Did something happen at school?"

Annabelle was quiet for a moment, picking at her blanket. She finally asked, in a voice wavering with tears, "Papa, how come you love baby Robert more than me? Is it because he's a boy?"

Zak was shocked by her question. He instinctively pulled her into his lap and tipped her chin up to look at him. Her watery eyes broke his heart. "Princess, what would possibly make you think that I love him more than you?"

In answer, Annabelle threw her arms around Zak, sobbing out the story of what had happened at school. Zak's arms unconsciously tightened around the girl as he listened to her. He remembered all too well the feeling of being picked on and hated that his little girl had to experience it. When she reached the end of her story, Zak dried her tears with the hem of his shirt and looked her in the eye. "Listen to me, angel. I love you every bit as much as I love your brother. I've loved you since the day you were born, and I will _always_ love you. Don't ever listen to anyone who tells you anything else. Ok?"

Annabelle snuggled into Zak's arms. "I love you too, Papa. I'm sorry I yelled at you. And I'm sorry I called Robert stupid."

Zak kissed the top of her head. "I know, princess. Why don't we go downstairs and see what your daddy and brother are up to?"

They walked downstairs and found the two in the kitchen. Robert was sitting in his highchair munching on a cracker, and Nick was stirring spaghetti sauce at the stove. Annabelle climbed onto a chair and peeked over Nick's shoulder, accepting a taste of sauce from a plastic spoon. "Can I play with Robert before dinner, Daddy?"

"Of course you can, sweetie." Nick lifted the baby out of his chair and wiped his face before carrying him into the living room. He set him down on a blanket with some toys, and Annabelle plopped down near him. Nick went back into the kitchen as she started a rolling game with a plastic ball.

Zak was dipping hunks of garlic bread in the sauce when he came back. Nick swatted his ass and nudged him away from the pot. "Stop tasting everything. I don't think you're going to starve to death in the next 15 minutes."

Zak grinned. "Can I help it if I need energy to keep up with you?"

Nick dipped his finger into the sauce and brought it up to Zak's lips. Zak opened his mouth and sucked in Nick's finger, wrapping his tongue around it and closing his eyes.

"So good," he mumbled around the finger.

Nick removed his hand. "Oh yeah? Let me taste." He tugged Zak closer and kissed him, tongue twining with the other man's. He pulled back and said, "You're right. That is pretty good." He rested his forehead against Zak's, arms draped loosely around his hips. "So did you find out what's wrong with Annabelle?"

Zak pulled out of Nick's arms, tension visible in his stance. "Yeah. Some asshole little kid at school is picking on her."

Nick sighed, fully aware of how much the idea of their daughter being bullied would upset Zak. "What's going on?"

Zak shook his head. "I'll tell you tonight. I don't want her to hear us talking about it."

"Fair enough. Can you help her wash up for dinner, and I'll get the baby ready?"

Five minutes later, they all sat down to a meal of spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad. Annabelle ate quickly and was excused to go play in her room. Robert ate his food enthusiastically, covering most of his face and hair in the process. Nick took the baby upstairs for a bath while Zak cleaned the kitchen. As he was zipping him into a footed sleeper, Annabelle came out of her room, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, princess. Are you almost ready for your bath?"

She nodded. "But I can do it myself."

Nicked smiled. Since she had started school, Annabelle had been insisting on doing more things on her own. "You can take your own bath, but how about you let me run the water?" He put the baby down in his crib and rubbed his back before turning on the night-light and walking out of the nursery.

He ran Annabelle's bath and added bubbles while she waited. When the bath was ready, he said, "Ok, there you go. I'll be in to check on you in a few minutes."

He went into his room and flopped onto the bed, closing his eyes and relaxing. He felt the mattress dip a moment later and interlaced his fingers with those sliding across his chest. "So what's going on with Annabelle?"

Nick felt Zak's body stiffen as he told him the story, and Nick rubbed his back, trying to ease the tension. "Is it wrong that I have the urge to kick that kid's ass?"

Nick laughed and said, "No, it's not wrong. It just makes you a dad who wants to protect his little girl." He checked the time. "I need to go get Annabelle out of the tub." Zak dropped a gentle kiss on Nick's lips and said, "Why don't you rest, and I'll finish up with Annabelle?"

Nick nodded his agreement, and Zak walked out of the room to tend to their daughter. He knew that it would take 15 or 20 minutes to get her dried and dressed, read her a story, and tuck her in. He walked into their bathroom, stripping down to his underwear as he went. He started filling the tub, adjusting the water to the temperature that Zak liked, and threw in a vanilla scented bath bomb. While the tub was filling, Nick stripped the bed and put fresh sheets on it. By the time Zak finished with Annabelle, Nick had everything ready and was waiting in the bathroom.

Zak walked into their bedroom, pulling his shirt off and absently scratching his chest. "Babe, are you taking a bath? I thought I heard the tub running." He went into the bathroom and was greeted by the sight of an almost naked Nick, clad only in his boxer-briefs, standing by the side of the tub. He smiled as he walked up to Zak, running his hands down over the muscles of his chest and stomach before hooking in the waistband of his jeans and pulling Zak to him. "I thought we could take a bath together."

"Mmmm. Sounds great," said Zak, sliding his hands into Nick's underwear and palming his ass. Nick groaned low in his throat and unhooked Zak's belt, rubbing the bulge in his jeans and causing Zak to press into his hand. Nick opened the button-fly of Zak's jeans and pushed them to the floor along with his boxers before shedding his own underwear. Nick stepped into the tub and gestured for Zak to sit in front of him.

Zak slipped into the water and leaned against Nick's chest, resting his arms on Nick's outstretched legs as Nick wrapped his arms around Zak's chest. Zak slid down slightly so that he could rest his head against Nick's shoulder, and the two men sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying the closeness and the quiet. Nick reached over and grabbed the hand-held shower attachment on the side of the tub. Zak turned his head and asked, "What are you..."

"Shhh. I'm going to wash your hair. Turn back around and close your eyes."

Zak did as he was told, feeling the warm water run down his neck and back as Nick ran his hand through the gelled hair. Nick added Zak's American Crew shampoo and massaged his scalp, feeling Zak relax under his hands. He washed out the shampoo, being careful to keep the soap out of Zak's eyes, and hit the button to turn on the jets. He slid his hands along Zak's body, dropping kisses along his neck and shoulders as he felt the older man melt under his ministrations. He loved being able to bring out this side of Zak, the vulnerable side that he kept hidden from everyone but Nick.

Nick flipped the drain and urged his boyfriend out of the tub. Zak dried himself from head to toe and walked into the bedroom, followed closely by Nick. Zak sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed Nick's hips, dragging his tongue up the underside of his hard cock before wrapping his lips around the head and sucking. Nick ran his hands through the soft, product-free hair as he felt himself being sucked in to the base. He loved it when Zak deep-throated him and was tempted to forget the rest of his plan when he started to hum. He enjoyed the sensations for a moment before pulling out of Zak's mouth and pushing him further onto the bed. Zak looked at him in confusion as he crawled onto the bed. Nick urged him onto his stomach as he grabbed a small bottle of oil off the bedside table. He poured some into his hands and rubbed them together to warm it before laying laying his hands on Zak's shoulders. Zak closed his eyes and sighed as it all clicked into place. The shared bath, washing his hair, and now a massage – Nick was in full on caregiver mode. He always got that way whenever he felt that Zak was hurt or upset or even just tired. Zak grabbed a pillow and tucked his arms under it, groaning slightly as Nick dug his fingers into tight muscles, forcing them to loosen. He straddled Zak's hips to give himself more leverage, working his way down the broad back. He reached the curve of the older man's back and turned around, stroking down strong legs. When he was finished, he had Zak turn onto his back and began massing his calves, moving his way up. Ignoring his lover's whimpers, he bypassed the hard cock and ghosted his fingers along the smooth chest, tweaking his tight nipples before shifting his body down to lay fully on top of the dark haired man. He lowered his head and licked at the full lips, sliding his tongue between them when Zak opened his mouth. Their hard cocks moved against each other as Nick rolled his hips, causing Zak to buck up into him. They ground against each other as they kissed, and Zak reached down to grab Nick's ass. Pulling the younger man more tightly against him, he pushed his hips up, desperately seeking the friction he needed.

Nick pulled away, panting slightly, and and grabbed a pillow. He placed it under Zak's hips, tilting them slightly, and drizzled more oil across his fingers before reaching down to the puckered hole. He slipped a finger into Zak, pumping it slightly as he kissed and nipped the firm abs and thighs, causing the other man to writhe against the sheets. Nick added a second finger, twisting them to loosen the muscle and brushing them over Zak's prostate. Zak reached down and grabbed his cock, stroking it roughly as he felt his orgasm begin to build. Nick removed Zak's hand and placed it up by his head, eliciting a whine from him.

"Nick – Nick, please...I'm so close..."

Nick removed his fingers and pushed inside slowly, placing his hands flat against Zak's chest and looking into his eyes. They both groaned softly as Nick began to slowly rock his hips, setting a gentle rhythm. Zak pushed his hips up in an attempt to make him speed up, but Nick kept the same pace.

"Nick, for fuck's sake, go faster. Or touch my cock or something, _please! _I need _something_, Nick."

Nick grinned down at his lover and shook his head. "Nope. I'm driving this bus, and I'm doing it my way tonight."

Zak fisted the sheets as Nick pumped his hips and leaned down for an eagerly accepted kiss. The men kissed repeatedly as they rocked together in a well practiced routine, and it wasn't long before Nick felt a familiar tightening in his groin. He wrapped a hand around Zak, stroking firmly as his thrusts became faster and more erratic. He pulled out and fisted his cock, stroking both as he felt his orgasm racing through him. He bit down on his lip to hold off as he twisted his wrist and heard Zak gasp. Ropes of hot semen shot across Zak's abs as he released, and Nick felt himself explode, adding to the mess on Zak's stomach. He lowered himself onto Zak, placing gentle kisses on any skin he could reach while he waited for his racing heart to slow to semi-normal.

After a moment, he rolled off Zak and grabbed an old towel from the bathroom. He cleaned himself and Zak before locking the bedroom door to prevent any surprise visits during the night and crawled back into bed. Zak wrapped an arm around Nick's chest and threw a leg over his while Nick ran his fingers absentmindedly through the dark hair.

"Zak – babe, are you asleep?"

"Mmmm – not yet, but if you keep doing that, I will be."

"What would you think if we changed Annabelle's last name? Legally, I mean – so that we could add Bagans to her last name, too."

Zah pushed himself up on his elbow and looked into Nick's brown eyes. "Are you sure?" At Nick's nod, he continued, "I'd love for Annabelle to have my last name. But don't you think Roni would fight it?"

Nick scoffed. "Roni hasn't even see Annabelle in almost a year. She's not going to care one way or another. And if she does squawk about it, then I'll threaten to sue her for all the back child support she owes. That'll shut her up."

Zak smiled. "Let's do it."

A knocking at the door interrupted their conversation. Zak got out of bed, stopping to pull on a pair of boxers and toss some to Nick, and opened the door. Annabelle stood there, tear-streaked and firmly clutching her stuffed vampire.

"Papa, I had a bad dream. Can I sleep in here tonight?"

"Of course you can, princess." He lifted the little girl into his arms and placed her in the bed next to Nick. Zak settled down on her other side, kissing her forehead. "Now let's all go to sleep."

Annabelle fell asleep quickly, secure in the knowledge that she was safe with her parents. Nick smiled at the sight of the small hand resting on Zak's tattooed arm and reached across her to squeeze his hand.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

The two men closed their eyes and drifted off to the sound of their daughter's soft breathing.

THE END

Author's notes: Damn, this one was much harder to get out than my last story. Mostly because Zak was being a moody little shit. He kept whining that I was making him sound like a wuss, and Nick finally whacked him in the back of the head and told him to shut up. LOL


End file.
